"If drugs were legal, there would be nothing to fight about."

This is a discussion on "If drugs were legal, there would be nothing to fight about." within the Law Enforcement, Military & Homeland Security Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; Some suggest the Obama Administration is all too likely to relax the Federal Government's stranglehold on drug availability and drug use in the USA.
Yesterday, ...

"If drugs were legal, there would be nothing to fight about."

Some suggest the Obama Administration is all too likely to relax the Federal Government's stranglehold on drug availability and drug use in the USA.

Yesterday, someone mentioned that there is a renewed effort in Mexico to legalize drugs. In the past week, Mexico legalized small quantities of some drugs, for personal and "recreational" use: click.

The drug wars along Mexico's borders are churning right along, as witnessed by yesterday's execution of 17 in Ciudad Juarez, right across the river from El Paso: click.

Some suggest if only drugs were legalized, there would be nothing to fight about: click.

Others believe such folks are out of their minds, that while we'd regain some liberties we would lose what's left of our souls.

QUESTION: From the standpoint of personal security and threats to your family members in the town where you live, how do you see such a change affecting things, on a day-to-day basis? What if "minor" drug availability were as simple as a bottle of Pepsi cola at the corner store?

This is a good thing to think about. I guess they wouldn't have as much to fight about. But there will probably always be amarket for cheaper taxless goods. I dunno what the difference would be honestly.

I think on a person-to-person, individual level, it wouldn't make a big difference in most of our lives if "minor" drugs such as pot were treated like alcohol. On a macro level, it would accomplish certain things (at certain costs), but that's beyond the scope of the post.

A man fires a rifle for many years, and he goes to war. And afterward he turns the rifle in at the armory, and he believes he's finished with the rifle. But no matter what else he might do with his hands - love a woman, build a house, change his son's diaper - his hands remember the rifle.

Disclaimer: The posts made by this member are only the members opinion, not a reflection on anyone else, nor the group, and should not be cause for anyone to get their undergarments wedged in an uncomfortable position.

I figure that it's well understood to be in there, in the "greater threat" choice.

Reality is, we're self-selecting the bias, here, a bit. The knee-jerk response is what's going to come out, and I suppose there is little question about how the chips will fall. With greater thought, and with a better understanding of the economics of such a sweeping change, the numbers would change a little.

Still: it is what it is. Change is in the wind. Hope is in the air. A new day is coming. I just don't think I want to see some of what that day will bring ... and that's a fact.

Originally Posted by OPFOR

On a macro level, it would accomplish certain things (at certain costs), but that's beyond the scope of the post.

In so far as it impacts a person's perceived daily security threat, it's well within the scope.

But, you're correct in suggesting there are plenty of effects outside someone's day-to-day concerns that aren't at issue, here. Beyond the scope of the question.

Prohibition was abolished because the Government could not stop the sale of alcohol, and citizens did not want prohibition.

Same today, the only way to stop the “drug cartels” is to legalize cannabis and cocaine, tax it, regulate it to produce produced in this country and sell it like you would hard liquor, but only regulate how much one can buy at a time.

Sure there will be some society health issues, but it’s obvious some citizens in the country want to use recreational drugs, and are willing to go to jail to do so, a government of the people and for the people should legalize it.

So how do you think all these new addicts are going to pay for their legal drugs,you think they are going to take their stoned bodies to work,very unlikely,they are going to be looking for easier ways to supply their habit IOW they will be doing more car and home burglaries.

Which ever side you take, I think we all have to be willing to accept that there is some gray in this area and base whatever policy on common sense and pragmatism.

Ending prohibition definitely took down a major boon for criminals like Capone (if not the IRS) but you will still have instances where people abuse something, like Alcohol, and that's just a fact of human nature that we sometimes will not know when to say "No." I'm not sure there's a single way you can legislate to prevent that.

Hypothetically if you did legalize everything, even the really hard stuff (I couldn't see proposing such a thing) you would most certainly take a big chunk out of the cartel's business. I think most likely what they would do is just take the money they have and go to some 'legitimate' business. Basically you would take cartel crooks and make them become corporate crooks. A bit more sinister but less actual violence.

I think it would be much more satisfying to just hunt down and kill the Cartels. But the scale of that manhunt would be very difficult if it occured in America because of our civil liberties, which I would see being threatened...and this opens up a big can o'worms (and possibly a whole separate thread of discussion) on what we are willing to suspend in civil liberties to combat a massive threat. Natural disasters gets us martial law at times, would a cartel war do the same in America?

Prohibition was abolished because the Government could not stop the sale of alcohol, and citizens did not want prohibition.

Same today, the only way to stop the “drug cartels” is to legalize cannabis and cocaine, tax it, regulate it to produce produced in this country and sell it like you would hard liquor, but only regulate how much one can buy at a time.

Sure there will be some society health issues, but it’s obvious some citizens in the country want to use recreational drugs, and are willing to go to jail to do so, a government of the people and for the people should legalize it.

Sure, that's easy to say since you don't deal with the crack heads and tweakers on a daily basis on your job or see the results of the addiction to these drugs. Alcohol isn't comparable to crack and meth.

Deal with this crap on a regular basis on YOUR job and see if you still think it's a good idea.

Nothing to fight about? You don't think the cartels would want to compete with the government? Just how would all these legal drugs be marketed, at the local pharmacy? Then pharmacies would be knocked over as often as stop-n-robs.
As one poster pointed out, you can't get addicts to work now, when they are just using enough to get by on, just imagine if they could buy all they wanted without fear of arrest. Robbery, car theft and any other crime where you could turn a quick profit would soar as addicts try to stockpile drugs. It's a can of worms.

Law enforcement and health agencies now spend countless dollars and man-power dealing with the effects of illegal drug use. Incarceration and treatment are expensive. Reduce the penalties and you may reduce the le burden. Health costs would continue to grow.

Distribution would be controlled and taxed on a state/federal/local level. Like bootlegging, independent producers would compete with regulators, not unlike what goes on now.

Costs are artificially high and would likely drop if access was less restrictive. Though drugs will always be a high-value product.

There would be less blood in the trade. The best ever argument to discourage drug use.

Nothing to fight about? You don't think the cartels would want to compete with the government? Just how would all these legal drugs be marketed, at the local pharmacy? Then pharmacies would be knocked over as often as stop-n-robs.
As one poster pointed out, you can't get addicts to work now, when they are just using enough to get by on, just imagine if they could buy all they wanted without fear of arrest. Robbery, car theft and any other crime where you could turn a quick profit would soar as addicts try to stockpile drugs. It's a can of worms.

Exactly.

Fact: Addicts need more and more quantities of the drug to get that same high. And they will be forever trying to capture that first high.

And they will DO ANYTHING to get that high. And that means steal, maim, rob, and even kill. Can't even get these pot heads, crack heads, and tweakers to even work, much less be a productive member of society.

Much of gang related violence is due to the drug trade. The way the gangs look at it, they need something to make money off of, so they will offer the drugs at an even lower price. With illicit drugs legal, more people will be addicted. Why would these addicts pay more money for a highly taxed product when they can get it from their crack/meth drug dealer? They want more drugs for their buck.

We need more people addicted and robbing and stealing and murdering like we need a hole in the head. Those who compare this with alcohol are totally ignorant about the situation. We already have a problem with people driving while intoxicated on the roads, lets add even more high/drug addicted drivers to the mix. It should be even safer on the roads.

While we're at it, let's start selling the stuff at Wally World too, that way it's much more available to the common man. That would be a great idea.